Yarn: The soles are leftover bits of Knit Picks’ Wool of the Andes in Rain (I think, the color seems to be discontinued) and Cascade 220 in . . . um . . . some light blue color that might be 7815 (I really need to be better about keeping track of ball bands). The uppers are about half a skein of Lion Brand Fishermen’s Wool that started off as either Natural or Oatmeal. I dyed it years ago with Wilton’s Icing Colors in Delphinium Blue and vinegar to set the dye. I had read that Wilton’s blues were notorious for splitting so I decided to let it do what it wanted to do naturally – I put just half of the skein in the dye pot for a while before submerging the whole skein. I ended up with a variegated light turquoise and purple with some darker blue patches. The color is a bit too My-Little-Pony-esque for my tastes which is why it’s been sitting in my stash for so long.

Modifications: I added a final knit row on the soles after the last row the pattern called for because they looked so narrow. I’m glad I did, and if I knit these again, would probably add yet another extra row or two.

Not a bad knit, overall. I had some problems following the pattern and kept ending up a stitch or two short. I’m going to blame it on the fact that I was mostly knitting these while watching TV and not paying as close attention as I could have. Since they were going to be felted I didn’t worry too much about it and just added a stitch here and there as needed to keep the count right. I’m still not in love with the colors and they’re pretty patchwork-y because I ran out of the Wool of the Andes and had to finish the soles with the 220. However, they were good for stash busting and I don’t really care what they look like so long as I have something warm to replace my old slippers that are full of holes.

For now, they’re drying over a vent. When they’re dry I’m going to give them a good shave to get rid of some of the fuzzies and make them look slightly less like dead Muppets. I may also give the soles some kind of non-skid treatment – felted slippers and wood floors can be a dangerous combination. Then my toes will be nice and toasty!

They say that admitting that you have a problem is the first step. Well, I have a problem with mitts. Hello, my name is Angela and I am a mitt-knit-aholic. Yes, I am addicted to knitting mitts. Don’t laugh, we all have our demons.

Mitts, fingerless gloves, muffatees – call them what you will – I can’t stop knitting them. It started innocently enough with a couple of pairs of muffatees. Plain old boring ribbed muffatees to keep my hands (and those of a coworker) warm in a historically correct manner at my last job.

Then I thought a more contemporary pair would be nice, one little pair of Evangelines. A nice, serviceable pair in Patons Classic Merino – Peacock. They knit up quick while I was traveling two Christmases ago and now live at work where they keep my hands warm while I’m typing in the icebox that masquerades as my office.

Although I didn’t realize it at the time, this is where I started to stray down a dangerous path. I began to spiral downwards into a dark world of nothing but mitts. One of my coworkers admired my Evangelines and asked for a pair. Remember these?

Then I decided that a couple of pairs of mitts would be just the thing for my Grandma and my Busia for Christmas, pretty pink ones that would keep warm and help their arthritis.

My grandmas, the hand models. They're such hams.

That’s a pair of Fingerless Gloves from Luxury Yarn One Skien Wonders for Busia on the left and a pair of Mitt Envys for Grandma on the right, both in my own hand dyed sock yarn.

These were quickly followed by a pair of Thank You Mitts for myself. What? My hands get cold at home too, not just at work.

Then another coworker asked for a pair of mitts. I cast on a third pair of Evangeline – easy, right? Not so much. Yeah, I apparently have a gauge problem to go along with my mitt problem. My gauge was so off from one mitt to the other that there was a significant different in size. I ripped them out. I couldn’t bear to knit yet another pair of Evangelines so I ended up making CoworkerL a pair of Sweet Fern Mitts.

Then one of my volunteers saw L’s Sweet Ferns. Can you guess where this is going? Yeah, I just finished a pair of Sweet Ferns for VolunteerM.

For those of you who are playing along at home, that’s NINE pairs of mitts that I’ve knit. Wait, make that ten – I messed up on Grandma’s mitts a couple of times and ended up having to knit four individual mitts to end up with one functional pair. TEN pairs of Mitts! Crazy!

Enough, I say! Stop the madness! Tonight the Knitting Olympics begin (ok all of you non-knitters who are laughing at this, it is too a real thing) and the perfect opportunity for a fresh start. I am hereby renouncing the mitts, turning over a new leaf, and forging ahead with my Olympic project. Citius, Alitius, Fortius!

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to watch the opening ceremony and cast on for something that is NOT MITTS. What is it? You’ll just have to wait and see . . .